Machine for making garment hangers



M h 11, 1952 J. v. BOYLES MACHINE FOR MAKING GARMENT HANGERS 8 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed D60 50, 1947 M m KS g J m Q3 March 11, 1952 J. v. BOYLES MACHINE FOR MAKING GARMENT HANGERS a Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 30, 1947 March 11, 1952 J. BOYLES MACHINE FOR MAKING GARMENT HANGERS 8 Shegts-Sheet 3 Filed Dec. 30, 1947 March 11, 1952 J. v. BOYLES 2,588,476

MACHINE FOR MAKING GARMENT HANGERS Filed Dec. 50, 1947 8 Sheets-Sheet 4 HIHIIIIII fwd/mm vdw.

J/fornzys March 11, 1952 J. v. BOYLES MACHINE FOR MAKING GARMENT HANGERS 8 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Dec. 30, 1947 March 11, 1952 V. BoYl-Es 2,588,476

MACHINE FOR MAKING GARMENT HANGERS Filed Dec. 50, 1947 8 Sheets-Sheet 6 March 11, 1952 BOYLES 2,588,476

MACHINE FOR MAKING GARMENT HANGERS Filed Dec. 50, 1947 8 Sheets-Sheet '7 Gala/Mann: Ydb

March 11, 1952 BOYLES 2,588,476

MACHINE FOR MAKING GARMENT HANGERS Filed Dec. 30, 1947 8 Sheets-Sheet 8 Patented Mar. 11, 1952 MACHINE FOR MAKING GARMENT HANGERS J. Van Boyles, High Point, N. 0.

Application December 30, 1947, Serial No. 794,625

The invention relates to machines for making conventional generally triangular garment hangers from straight wire blanks, an object being to provide such a machine wherein the completed hanger will be located in a horizontal plane and delivered by gravity without need for extraneous means for accomplishing such delivery, such for example as spring operated means for throwing the completed vertically positioned hanger from a support as disclosed in the patent to Kuester No. 1,550,824, dated August 25, 1925, or means for pushing the completed vertically positioned hanger from a support as disclosed in the patent to Baldwin No. 1,825,839, dated December 8, 1931. Another object is to provide improved means for feeding the wire blanks to the machine adapted to avoid tendency to feed more than one blank at a time, thereby avoiding mutilation of the hangers and consequent stoppage or jamming of the machine. Another object is to provide means for gently depositing the wire blanks in position with respect to the wire bending levers so as to avoid tendency of the blanks to bound upwardly out of position due to the speed of deposit being too great, this also avoiding mutilation of the hangers and consequent stoppage or jamming of the machine. Other objects and advantages will appear hereinafter or will be obvious.

The invention consists in the novel construction and combinations of parts as hereinafter set forth in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings illustrating the invention,

Figure 1 is a side view of the machine; parts being broken away.

Figure 2 is a plan view of the machine with certain parts removed.

Figure 3 is a right end view of the machine as shown in Fig. 1.

Figure 4 is a detail vertical sectional view of the machine, showing the feeding means for the blanks and the hook forming head in raised position.

Figure 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4, looking from the opposite direction, showing the hook forming head in lowered position.

Figure 6 is an enlarged detail plan view of a portion of the machine with parts removed to show the operation of the wire bending levers, different positions of the parts being shown in dotted lines.

Figure 7 is a view similar to Fig. 6, showing the wire bending levers completely closed to the triangular form in full lines, and showing the neck 4 Claims. (Cl. 81.5)

2 of the hanger twisted and the hook forming head. in its final position.

Figure 8 is a view similar to Fig. 7, showing the wire bending levers partially'retracted and the slides retracted to release the hanger.

Figure 9 is a detail fragmentary plan view, showing the wire bending levers closed to the fixed form and the hook forming head in its No. 1 or initial position.

Figure 10 is a view similar to Fig. 9, showing the hook forming head in its No. 2 position.

Figure 11 is a view similar to Fig. 10, showing the hook forming head in its No. 3 or final position.

Figure 12 is a detail fragmentary side view, showing the center rest for the hanger blank, said blank being shown in section in full lines in its No. 1 or initial position and in dotted lines in its No. 2 position.

Figure 13 is a view similar to Fig. 12, showing the base bar of the hanger pushed by the slides to the position shown in Fig. "I.

Figure 14 is a view similar to Fig. 12, showing the base bar of the hanger in released position, being the position assumed when the hanger is ready to be delivered by gravity.

Figure 15 is a detail longitudinal sectional view of the twister head.

Figure 16 is a section on the line [8-18 of Fig. 15.

In these'drawings, the numeral I designates the stationary framing of the machine. having an inclined table 2 for the strai-ht blanks 3 of spring-metal wire, previously cut to the proper length and fed along said table by gravity into a. vertical slot 4 of said table containing a. vertical stack of said blanks.

An oscillatory quadrant 5, one of which is provided at each side of the machinev has a notch l positioned to receive the lowermost blank of said stack. A reciprocatory finger device 1 works between the two lowermost blanks of said stack .tov

press said lowermost blank home within said notch and. to prevent more than one blank at a time being fed to the said notch.

The quadrants 5 deliver the blanks successive-- ly to horizontal end rests 8 and a center rest 8,

by gravity, and in order to deposit the blanks gently upon these rests 8 and 9, the blanks fell nets to reduce to a minimum the bounce ofthe;

3 blanks as they fall and to retain the blanks in position as deposited.

A fixed form I I of generally triangular form comprising horizontally disposed base corners I I, an apex blade I3 and an apex post I2 depends from the superstructure I' of the fixed frame I of the machine. As each wire blank is deposited upon thehorizontal rests or supports 8 and 9, horizontally reciprocato'ry wire bending levers I are operated to bend the wire blank about said base corners II and against said apex blade I3 and apex post I2 as shown in Figure 6 to make a generally triangular hanger having base an les A, a base bar B, side bars C, parallel wire end portions D one of which is longer than the other, and bends E at the roots of said wire end portions, said base bar being outwardly bowed as shown in dot and dash lines Figure 6. The base corners II, apex blade I3 and apex post I2 of said fixed form I I are positioned similarly to the angles of the generailv triangular hanger. The wire bending levers I0 have notches I4 in their free end "portions and studs I 4 within said notches cooperating with apex blade I3 and .apex post I2, said blade entering within said nhtches'asshowninFigures 9 and 10. The han er so made is located in a horizontal plane. It is hbvio'll's that it is within the spirit of the invention to vary the form of the apex blade I3 and of the notehe's I4 as disclosed in the patent to series NU. 1 ,941,430, 'dated December 26, 1933, wherein the apex blade is designated 38 and the notches are designated I6.

Means for twisting the wire end portions D tdgether'to'foifn the heck of the hanger comprise twister head I 5,'whi6h upon one reciprocatory stroke thereof enga es these parallel end pbitiohs "and upon the reverse Stroke is disengaged therefrom following rotation of the twister head to a'complis'h the twisting. Inthis twisting or the wire end portions D together to form the hanger neck, the twister head twists the wire end portions againstthe'apex post I2 as an abutmeat "to form a tight twist which would otherwise be lacking as it "is not practicable to form it in any other way. There is also'formed durin thistvvistin'g a V bend ll straddl'ingsaid post and joining the said neck to the sidebars C of the hanger. -The twister head I 5 is provided with a tapered entrance opening I5 for the wires, die platesfl 'l within the cavity of the hollow head biiignothed at 111th provide an apertur ro receive the wires and jaws to tightly grip the wires, and "in order "to center these jaws the twisterheadhas screw engagement with its shaft I 6". whereby as said head is screwe home upon said shaft, the outer ends of the the plates I1 will be engaged by the side wall of the cavity "of the head to center the jaws.

' During the operation of the twist'er head, horizontauy 'r'eciproc'a'tor slides I9 ar'eoperated to engage the base b'arB of the hanger and convert the outward bowthe'reof into an inward bow, as shown "in dotted lines in Figure 6, in order to complete the bending jofth base angles A of the ha gerana for a further purpose to be described.

vi/"ire bending levers ID are of 'V for'r'n'and have the'irfulcrii'm's I0 spaced horizbntauy from and closer togetherjthan the base corners I I" or said fixed form I I, the angle of the V of the levers being inclosed position bfthe levers tosa'id form I] located adjacent said 'base corners I I, as shown in Figure 7. fUp'on' ir'iitial retraction of ssiajievers the templates hanger, which through ihhai'ant' ies'iliehce "will retract-from said base corners II, apex blade I3 and apex post I2 of said fixed form, will have nothing to interfere with its delivery by gravity other than center support 9, inasmuch as said form II depends from the superstructure I of the fixed frame I of the machine and the hook forming means also depends from said superstructure.

The center rest or support 9 for the wire blanks is horizontally spaced from said fixed form I I and has a slight upward incline and a free end portion reduced to a thin edge, said slides I9 operating to push the base bar B of the hanger up said incline to tension said base bar and cause it to snap over said thin edge and pass thereunder in the straightening of said base bar due to its inherent resilience, thus enabling said base bar to fall in said-gravity delivery, see Figures 12, 13 and 14.

In the operation of the machine, the motor IIiEI drives pulley I III belted at I02 to pulley I33, thus driving reduction gears I04, I05, belted at I66 to pulley IIl'Lon shaft IE8, said shaft driving vertical shaft 1H0 through the medium of bevel gears I09, said shaft 'IIII having cam III fast thereon, said cam operating the wire bending levers 'JIG through-the medium of roller II2 on lever II3, the shaft 'of said roller having link connection I'I4 with a lever H5. The lever H5 has a cross head I I6 having resilient operating connection H1, H8 with said wire bending levers Ill, said resilient connection being yieldable in case of jamming of the machine to thereby avoid mutilation of the parts. The vertical shaft H3 has bevel gear "connection H9 to transverse shaft I20 mounted in bearings I2I of the stationary main frame, said shaft I20 having at one end thereof a cam I22 operating a lever I 23, said lever having link connection I24 with a lever I 25 fixed to a transverse shaft I26, the latter having the quadrants 5 fast thereon.

In order tooperate the finger device I, a cam I26a is fast to the shaft 'I 23 and operates a-lever I261), which latter is fa'st'to a shaft I 260, and the shaft I260 is mounted in bearings of the stationairy frame I. A depending ar'm 'IZSe is also fixed to the shaft I26c"'and"has pin connection with the finger device 1.

=At the other end'of the shaft is a cam I21 which operates a lever I28 having link connection I2 9 withia lever 13!! fast "to 'a transverse shaft I3I, said le'ver I3'I' having ahep'ehding 'arm I32 which operates the slides I9.

At one end of the transverse shaft I08 is a bevel gear connection I33 with a horizontal shaft I 34 havin'g'a-lternately working cams I 35.

A lever I36, fulcrumed at 131; has operating connection I'S'S'With oneend of a reciprocatory shaft I39 having bearings I38 in the stationary frame t, said shaft I3 9' having operating :connection I40 with a lever I 4|, fulcrurh'ed -at I42, the other end "of said shaft --I 39 "having-operating coiinedtion 143 with the reciprocatory shaft I44 of the twister head I 5, to move said'twister head into and out of engagement with the parallel endtportidns-Dof the wires, said shaft I'44 having bearings 1'45 in thest'atio'nary frame I. -A :pinioh I46 has feathered oonnectionwith saidshaftl44, thereby 'allowingshaftIM to reciprocate therethro'ugh.

'The pinion flo meshes with gears I41 which latter include a pinion I48 meshing with :a'segmental gear I49, the latter being driven through the medium of abam I50 mounted on one end of the'horiz'ontal sha-f-t"I3-4-- to rotate the twister head.

thereto, said arm having a spring connection I52 with the stationary frame I, so that in case the twister head should become jammed, there will be no mutilation of the parts.

The horizontal shaft I34 has bevel gear connection I53 with a transverse shaft I54 mounted in bearings of the frame I. This transverse shaft I54 has bevel gear connection I55 with a vertical shaft I56, the latter extending through bearings I51 of the frame I, and at its upper end said shaft I56 is provided with a bevel gear connection I58 with a transverse shaft I59 mounted in bearings I60 of the frame I.

The shaft I59 is provided with a cam I6I operating a roller I62 carried by a lever I63 fulcrumed at I64, said lever I63 operating swivel connection I65 with the vertically reciprocatory shaft I66 the lower end of which carries the hook'forming head to be described. Shaft I66 has feathered connection with a pinion I61 suitably mounted on the superstructure I of the frame I to prevent it from reciprocating with shaft I66. The pinion I61 meshes with rack I68 connected at I69 with a lever I fulcrumed at I1I. The lever I10 has a roller I 12 contacting a cam I13, which cam forms a lateral extension of the cam I6I. Cam ISI operates lever I63 to raise it, said lever being lowered by gravity, thus accomplishing the reciprocation of shaft I66. Cam I13 operates lever I 10 and rack I68 to rotate pinion I61 and thus rotate the hook forming head.

The lever I10 has a retracting spring connection I 13 with the frame I to retract the hook forming head, said spring connection being yieldable to prevent mutilation of the parts in case of jamming.

The hook forming head 22 is fixed on vertically reciprocatory shaft I66 and is provided with a roller journaled thereon at 2| eccentrically of shaft I66, and with another roller 24 journaled thereon at 24 eccentrically of and upon the opposite side of shaftIBS from journal 2|. Rollers 20 and 24 are spaced apart and are adapted to receive between them the terminal portion of the longer of the wire end portions D of the hanger. Upon operation of said hook forming head, said terminal portion of the longer wire end portion will be engaged by both rollers 20 and 24 and wrapped around roller 20 to form the hook of the hanger as shown in Figures 9, 10 and 11. Roller 24 will escape from the free end of the hook at the finish of this operation, as shown in Fig. 11. As the wire bending levers I0 are closed to the form I I, guide studs located at the free ends of said levers are adapted to engage the end portions of the wire blank and straighten the blank should this be necessary due to a crooked blank.

I claim:

1. A machine for making conventional generally triangular garment hangers from straight wire blanks, comprising a fixed form depending from the fixed frame of the machine, said form comprising horizontally disposed base corners, an apex blade and an apex post positioned similar- 1y to the angles of the hanger, a fixed horizontal support located midway between said base corners and horizontally spaced from said fixed form, means for feeding the wire blanks successively upon said support, twin horizontally reciprocatory levers for bending the wire blanks about said base corners and against said apex blade and said apex post to make a hanger located in a horizontal plane having wire end portions one of which is longer than the other, horizontally reciprocatory slides engaging the base bar of said hanger for completing the bending of the base angles of said hanger about said base corners of the fixed form, means for twisting said wire end portions together to make the hanger neck and a V-bend straddling said apex post and connecting said .neck with the side bars of the hanger, and means comprising a hook forming head for bending the terminal portion of the longer of said wire end portions into a hook, said levers having their culcrums spaced horizontally from said base corners of the fixed form and upon retraction releasing the hanger from said fixed form for delivery by gravity, said hook forming head depending from the fixed frame of the machine to enable the hook to fall in said gravity delivery, said slides operating to push the base bar of the hanger over and beyond said support to free it therefrom and enable said base bar to fall in said gravity delivery.

2. A machine for making conventional generally triangular garment hangers from straight wire blanks, comprising a fixed form depending from the fixed frame of the machine, said form comprising horizontally disposed base corners, an apex blade and an apex post positioned similarly to the angles of the hanger, a fixed horizontal support located midway between said base corners and horizontally spaced from said fixed form, means for feeding the wire blanks successively upon said support, twin horizontally reciprocatory levers for bending the wire blanks about said base corners and against said apex blade and said apex post to make a hanger located in a horizontal plane having wire end portions one of which is longer than the other, horizontally reciprocatory slides engaging the base bar of the hanger for completing the bending of the base angles of the hanger about said base corners of the fixed form, means for twisting said wire end portions together to make the hanger neck and a V-bend straddling said apex post and connecting said neck with the side bars of the hanger, and means comprising a hook forming head for bending the terminal portion of the longer of said wire end portions into a hook, said levers having their fulcrums spaced horizontally from the base corners of said fixed form and upon retraction releasing the hanger from said form for delivery by gravity, said hook forming head depending from the fixed frame of the machine to enable the hook to fall in said gravity delivery, said support having a slight upward incline and a free end portion having a reduced thin edge, said slides operating to push the base bar of the hanger up said incline to tension said base bar and cause it to snap over said thin edge to free it therefrom and enable the base bar to fall in said gravity delivery.

3. A machine for making conventional generally triangular garment hangers from straight wire blanks, comprising a fixed form depending from the fixed frame of the machine, said form comprising horizontally disposed base corners, an apex blade and an apex post positioned similarly to the angles of said hanger, a fixed horizontal support located midway between said base corners and horizontally spaced from said fixed form, means for feeding the wire blanks successively upon said support, twin horizontally reciprocatory levers for bending the wire blanks about said base corners and against said apex blade and said apex post to make a hanger located in a horizontal plane having parallel wire end portions one of which is longer than the other, horizontally reciprocatory slides engaging the base bar of the hanger for completing the bending of its base angles about the base corners of said fixed form, means for twisting said wire end portions together to make the hanger neck and a V-bend straddling said apex post and connecting said neck with the side bars of the hanger, and means comprising a hook forming head for bending the terminal portion of the longer of said wire end portions into a hook, said levers having their fulcrums spaced horizontally from the base corners of said fixed form and upon retraction releasing the hanger from said fixed form for delivery by gravity, said hook forming head depending from the fixed frame of the machine to enable the hook to fall in said gravity delivery, said slides operating to push the base bar of the hanger over and beyond said support to free it therefrom and enable said base bar to fall in said gravity delivery, said blank feeding means comprising an oscillatory quadrant the arcuate edge portion .of which is provided with a notch to receive the lowermost of a vertical stack of blanks and a reciprocatory finger tangent to said ermost of the blanks in said stack to prevent more than one blank at a time being fed to said notch and to press the lowermost blank of said stack home within said notch.

4. A machine for making conventional generally triangular garment hangers from straight wire blanks, comprising a fixed form depending from the fixed frame of the machine, said form comprising horizontally disposed base corners, an apex blade and an apex post positioned similarly to the angles of said hanger, a fixed horizontal support located midway between said base corners and horizontally spaced from said fixed form, means for feeding the wire blanks successively upon said support, twin horizontally reciprocatory levers for bending the wire blanks' about said base corners and against said apex blade and said apex post to make a hanger located in a horizontal plane having parallel wire 1 25 arcuate edge and Working between the two lowend portions one of which is longer than the Y other, horizontally reciprocatory slides engaging the-base 'bar of the hanger for completing the bending of its base angles about the base cor ners of said fixed form, means for twisting said wire end portions together to make the hanger neck and a V-bend straddling said post and connecting said neck with the side bars of the'hanger, means comprising a hook forming head for bending the terminal portion of the longer of said wire end portions into a hook, said levers having their fulcr'ums spaced horizontally from the base corners of said fixed form and upon retraction releasing the hanger from said form for delivery by gravity, said hook forming head depending from the fixed frame of the machine to enable the hook to fall in said gravity delivery.

said slides operating to push the base bar of the hanger over and beyond said support to free it therefrom and enable said base bar to fall in said gravity delivery and an inclined spring-upheld deflector upon which the wire blanks are successively deposited by said blank feeding means, said deflector being yieldable against the tension of its spring by the weight of the blank to reduce the speed of the fall of the blank and to deposit the blank gently upon said support, said deflector being restorable to normal position by its spring to receive the next succeeding blank and to position it over the deposited blank to prevent rise of the latter out of position.

J VAN BOYLES.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date;

1,550,824 Kuester Apr. 25, 1925 1,616,452 Knable Feb. 8, 1927 1,695,603 Magidson Dec. 18, 1928 1,835,839 Baldwin Dec. 8, 1931 2,041,805 Backer May 26, 1936 2,074,789 Hopkins -7.-- Mar. 23, 1937 2,162,669 Boyles s June 13, 1939 

